Jellicles Are as Jellicles Do
by DaAmazingMeepers
Summary: Two ordinary cats have a run in with the Jellicles and find out that they're more familiar with the tribe than they knew.  Or are they so ordinary?  Their destinies certainly aren't.  OCx?
1. Chapter 1: Braving the Outside

Hey guys, looks like it's time for another story! I've been in a "musicals" mood lately, and a big one I love is Cats. I mean, come one, how could you not love singing and dancing cats? And yes, there are going to be OCs in here, but they're a bit different; they're based off of and named after my own cats. Well, technically I only have one cat now, since the older of the two died a while back, but she's still alive in my heart. So I hope you enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Cats or any of its characters.

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><p>Chapter 1: Braving the Outside<p>

All was still in London at one in the morning. Clouds hid the moon and stars, but it was a warm night nonetheless. In a small apartment, a black and white cat was just waking up from her nap. She stretched each of her limbs and began to groom herself. As she carefully licked her left shoulder, a dark shape slunk slowly toward her. It stopped about a foot and a half away, wiggled a little, and then sprang. It landed on her back, and she yowled in surprise. She didn't swing at the shape, however; she already knew whom it was.

"Kiara," she meowed furiously, "Don't do that!"

The offender, another cat, grinned and licked her paw, grooming herself as the first cat had previously been doing. "Oh come on, Cookie, it's not like I hurt you."

Cookie shook herself to get rid of the tingly feeling that had come with being startled. "Maybe so, but I don't like it when you do that."

The two cats were littermates. They had been together all their lives, not even separating when their humans had picked them out of the rest of their litter. Kiara – a completely black and fluffy queen cat – was the older of the two, protecting her sister, but not stopping herself from teasing her sister. Cookie – a smaller black and white patched queen – had been the runt of the litter, and had still been picked especially by the human mother.

"Never mind that," Kiara said nonchalantly, although there was an excited undertone to her voice. "I have a huge, HUGE idea. I know you're not going to like it at first, but hear me out, okay?"

Cookie gave her sister a wary look. Her ideas usually didn't turn out the way she planned them. "What is it?"

"We should go outside."

Cookie froze. Out of all of Kiara's "huge, HUGE ideas", this one was by far the hugest. "What? Kiara, are you crazy?"

Kiara didn't react to her sister's outburst. She had been expecting her to react as such. "Oh come on, sis, don't tell me you've never wondered what it's like out there."

"Actually, no, I haven't! We're inside cats, Kiara; we can't just go out there like it's nothing! And anyway, how would we get out there, use our non-existent opposable thumbs to open the door?"

Kiara batted her sister's ear playfully. "That's easy; we use the dog door."

Cookie gaped at the black queen. Their family owned a large black dog as well as the two felines. They found him to be annoying, but were relatively able to ignore him. "You know that's not possible; only the dog can go through—"

"Cookie, I've done it before."

Cookie stooped mid-sentence and stared at her sister like mice were coming out of her ears. "You've what?"

"I've been through the dog door."

Cookie's jaw dropped. "You…Kiara, you've gone stark raving mad!"

Kiara glared at her sister. "The only thing I'm mad about is having to stay in his tiny apartment for so long! I'm so sick of watching everything from behind a window! Just try going through that door, Cookie; the smells alone make you want more!"

Cookie shook her head, feeling almost frantic. "No, Kiara, it's way too dangerous outside! There are cars, cat catchers and dogs – stray dogs, not ones like the one who lives with us! We could be—"

She was stopped by the determined look on Kiara's face. "You don't understand, Cookie; I'm going outside, whether you come with me or not. I wasn't meant to be an inside cat. That doesn't mean I'm not going to come back tonight, but I have to know what else is out there."

With that, she turned and exited the room, heading for the fabled dog door. As Cookie watched her sister, she was having a massive debate in her head. The sensible side of her was telling her that it was a scary and dangerous world out there, and it was too much of a risk to even consider leaving the apartment. But the mother-hen part of her was telling her that she couldn't just let her sister go out there all by herself. And then there was one more, very small part of her – the adventurous part of her – that was telling her that she wanted to know what was out there too.

After much internal arguing, she got up and dashed after her sister. It took quite a bit of courage to actually go through the flap. A cold breeze hit her the moment she was on the other side. Kiara was three feet away, about to leap over the chain link fence that separated the yard and the sidewalk. Cookie ran up next to her, and Kiara gave her a look of surprise. "I thought you weren't coming?"

Cookie shivered in the night air. "Well, someone has to keep you out of trouble, don't they?"

Kiara grinned and leaped over the fence, with Cookie not far behind. It was after Cookie had landed on the sidewalk that she really started to notice the smells. She was bombarded with scents of dogs, cats, rats, and various other animals, not to mention the aromas of a nearby restaurant and the cars that had been driving on the asphalt earlier that evening. It was almost overwhelming how many smells were hitting her.

"So," said Kiara, a big smile one her face, "Which way should we go?"

Cookie looked confusedly at Kiara. "You've been out here before, so shouldn't you know the best place to go?"

At this, Kiara looked sheepish. "Well, to tell you the truth, I only went as far as the fence last time. This is the closest I've been to actually exploring."

Cookie snorted. "Well, at least you have some sense of self-preservation."

Kiara rolled her eyes. "Whatever, let's just go this way," she said, walking to her left.

They both started on their little adventure, Kiara with bright, curious eyes, and Cookie with cautious, searching ones. Cookie expected at any moment for a dog to leap out and try to tear them to shreds. They walked down alleys and on top of fences, smelling new smells and (with Kiara) tasting things if they smelled good enough. They both had a bit of a scare when a car drove by and splashed them both with a puddle, causing them to leap three feet into the air and make a mad dash for a nearby alley. Once they realized that they weren't going to die, they laughed and cleaned each other off.

They had been wandering around for about a half-an-hour when Cookie said, "We've been walking a long time, Kiara. Why don't we head back now?"

Kiara shook her head. "No, not yet. There's one more place I want to take a look at before we go back."

Cookie looked curiously at her sister. "I thought you said you've never been this far out before. How can you know about this place if that's true?"

"An alley cat told me about it. He said something special happens there around this time of year, but didn't know what it is. I want to see if we can catch sight of anything."

Cookie checked the moon's position, and then sighed and said, "Okay, but if nothing happens after five minutes, then we go back, deal?"

Kiara considered this, and then said, "Deal."

They continued to walk, through one alley, down another, until they came to a fenced in area. Inside it were old rusty cars, cushionless sofas, and bits and pieces of all the things no one wanted anymore. Cookie looked incredulously at her sister. "A junkyard? That's the place you're so excited about?"

Kiara leaped over the fence and called over her shoulder, "Don't knock it 'til you've seen it."

Cookie hesitated before leaping over the fence as well. They both began to sniff around, looking for something…special. They crawled over boxes and into crevices, both ending up on top of an old car with a battered old license plate that read "TSE 1". From the top of that car they could see almost the whole junkyard, but nothing special materialized. The only thing strange about that place was the faint scent of cats; lots and lots of cats.

"Kiara, there's nothing here," said Cookie exasperatedly, "Lets just go."

"Not yet, there's something here, I know it," stated the black queen.

Suddenly, a car drove by, its headlights briefly illuminating the clearing in the middle of the junkyard. The two sisters weren't expecting to see anything there, but to their surprise, another cat was lit up briefly before letting out a surprised hiss and returning to the shadows. This sight so surprised them that they leaped down from the car and hid under it instead. As their eyes recovered from the blinding light of the headlights, they noticed more and more cats converging onto the clearing. The more cats showed up, the brighter the junkyard seemed to become. The sisters looked at each other, Kiara looking excited and Cookie looking terrified.

One final cat came forward – a tom by the looks of it – and stood up as proud and tall as he could. He hadn't noticed the two of them yet; none of the other cats had. As they watched, he sang one line of a song, with each of the cats taking a turn after him. Each line asked a question, and although it seemed strange, it was almost as if each question were aimed at the sisters hiding under the car. Then the two of them watched as the group of cats began to dance. It was an enchanting sight, each movement happening in accordance with every other movement. Neither of the sisters could take their eyes away.

In the middle of the song, however, two cats who looked almost exactly alike snapped their heads over to look directly at Cookie and Kiara's hiding place. "Intruders," they hissed.

Instantly, the junkyard cleared except for the tom who had started the song; a fluffy, grey striped cat. He stayed on the clearing, glaring at the car with his arms spread in a protective position. "Whoever is hiding there, show yourself now," he said in a commanding voice.

Cookie was trembling like a leaf in the wind, but Kiara bravely stood up and addressed the tom. "Please forgive us for interrupting, we don't mean you any harm. We just happened to be passing through when you started dancing."

The tom didn't move. "Only Jellicle cats may enter this place during the Jellicle Ball. How did you find your way here? Did Macavity send you?"

The rest of the cats hiding in the shadows hissed at the mention of this mystery cat's name. Cookie crawled out from under the car so that her sister wouldn't have to face the threatening cat alone, but in her head she was thinking to herself, _"'Jellicle cats'? Where have I heard that term before?"_

"Sir," said Kiara, using her most reasonable voice, "We've never even heard of this Macavity person. This is the first time we've been outside of our human's residence. I swear we have only good intentions."

The tom looked skeptical. Suddenly, the cat whom they had spotted in the glow of the headlights – a queen – came up behind him. He looked surprised, but allowed her to pass. She walked timidly up to Kiara. Cookie was amazed at how gracefully she walked, almost like she was still dancing. When she was standing directly in front of Kiara, she sniffed her gently, and then did the same with Cookie. When she was finished, she breathed a small sigh. "They do not carry his scent."

The tom sighed with relief and relaxed a little, but not completely. "How did you come to be here?" he asked as the rest of the cats began to emerge from their hiding places.

The sisters looked at each other and then Kiara shrugged and said, "We just…walked. And now here we are."

The tom gave them suspicious looks. "But you aren't Jellicle cats?"

"What are Jellicle cats?"

A collective gasp went up from all of the surrounding cats, and they muttered, "What are Jellicle cats?" incredulously.

Then the cats began to converge in front of the sisters. When they were all in one big group, they began to speak – no, more like chant. They explained about the naming of cats, each in a monotonous voice, always in time with each other. It was unnerving, and Cookie wanted nothing more than to make a mad dash out of that junkyard and back to her human's dwelling. Despite how terrified she was, however, the chanting seemed very familiar to her, as if she had heard it before.

Suddenly, the cats seemed to come to the end of their chanting and each began to slink into the shadows until there was only one cat left. It was a calico queen with bright reds and oranges and dark browns in patches all over her body. Slowly, she began to dance. It seemed to express her very personality, with flashy high leaps, but also subtle, barely noticeable movements. When she was still, a black and white cat ran out and ran his paws down her leg. He sang of the Jellicle Ball, and then the protective tom from earlier explained how the ball worked.

When all had fallen silent, Kiara and Cookie were stunned into silence. The grey tom took a step forward. "Well, do you understand now?"

Kiara and Cookie looked at each other, and Cookie could see that they were on the same page. For the first time since they had been discovered, Cookie spoke. "Those songs, that explanation, the term 'Jellicle cat', it all sounds so familiar to us. I can't exactly say where I've heard it, but it's something I've heard of before."

The grey tom seemed surprised to hear her speak, but played it off well. "Because you obviously have some experience with Jellicles, we cannot let this slide. What we must do is wait for Old Deuteronomy to return. He will know what to do."

Kiara's ears perked up with interest. "Is he your leader or something?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, "He should be here soon. Until then, there will be more dancing and singing that you can watch if you like."

Cookie shot a warning look at Kiara, but she either didn't notice or ignored it (most likely the second choice). "Sure thing," said the black queen, "But can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"It will me much easier to get things straight if you tell us your name."

The tom straightened up and said regally, "I am Munkustrap, protector of the Jellicle tribe. We do not have enough time to introduce every one of our members, but you won't have to worry; all of the next songs will introduce most of our members for us."

As Cookie and Kiara sat down next to the car to watch the Jellicles dance, Cookie furiously whispered to her sister, "I knew something bad was going to happen! Kiara, we have to get out of—"

"Chill, sis," said Kiara, "Nothing bad had happened yet; we're still alive and unharmed, and these guys dance amazingly! Besides, Munkustrap himself said that we couldn't leave until their leader got here, so we might as well just relax."

Cookie wanted to do anything but relax, but she knew there was no convincing her sister, so she laid down and watched the dancing. The first cat they introduced was a queen named Jennyanydots. Cookie liked this cat; she seemed very motherly, and organized too. That is, until she was stripped down to something resembling a flapper dress and started tap dancing. Then she resembled someone's cool aunt.

Just when she thought that everything was winding down, the sound of trumpets blared a catchy tune and a new cat burst through some papers in the back with a "Meow."

Cookie's jaw dropped. That cat was the most handsome tom she had ever seen. He appeared to be a main coon mix, with a spiked collar and a huge fluffy mane. The moment she laid eyes on him her heart skipped a beat. As the group sang about him – the Rum Tum Tugger they called him – he swung his hips and flirted with the female kittens who were surrounding him and squealing with joy. At one point he even danced up to Cookie and caressed her cheek, which made her face turn hot under her fur. Kiara grinned cheekily at her. "Ooh, someone likes what they see."

This only caused Cookie to blush more. "N-no, just watch the show."

"Oh believe me, I am," the black queen said, staring at Tugger's swaying hips, "Me-OW."

Cookie ignored her sister's crude behavior and continued to watch the flashy tom dance. It was almost hypnotizing the way he moved. Everywhere he went both female and male kittens followed him with looks of adoration and admiration. All of the queen kits wanted him, and all of the tom kits wanted to be him. Cookie would have been inclined to join them if she didn't think she would be completely mortified.

After his song ended, she didn't pay much attention to the other songs. She was too busy thinking about the curious cat; his beautiful fur, the lone curl in the middle of his forehead, and everything about him. She finally started paying attention again when she noticed that everyone had become very quiet. They were all looking around, as if searching for something. Suddenly, out of the group of cats a lone voice called out, "Old Deuteronomy?"

Cookie perked up. That was the name of their leader, wasn't it? She looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of the fabled leader, as the cats once again began to sing. Their tone was loving and full of admiration. Munkustrap sang warmheartedly of the old cat's long life, and Cookie's heart fluttered when the Rum Tum Tugger came out to sing a duet with the grey tom. She wondered briefly if they were related somehow.

Then a huge fluffy cat appeared and everyone was running up to him, embracing him and nuzzling him lovingly. He didn't ignore a single kitten, greeting them each individually and with equal amounts of love. The old cat made it to the top of the large tire and sang the final line of the song. His voice sounded as old as time itself, and yet resonated with strength.

It was then that he noticed Cookie and Kiara. His eyes lit up with surprise. "Who are these two? Are they Jellicle cats?"

Munkustrap brought them forward. "We don't know. They didn't know what a Jellicle cat was, but they said that they had heard the term before, and they were able to enter the junkyard. We need your guidance in what to do."

Old Deuteronomy looked them over, and Cookie couldn't help but feel as if he was evaluating her soul. She squirmed under his gaze, and Kiara did the same. Finally, the old cat said, "This is an unusual situation. Perhaps we should discuss this more privately."

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><p>Afternote: …This is the longest chapter I have <span>ever<span> written. Over 3000 words, and I actually cut it shorter than where I had wanted it to end! This is unusual for me! I started writing and then I just couldn't stop! Maybe I'm being influenced by the fact that it's NaNoWriMo…

Anyway, some things about these OCs that are the same about my own cat(s) are:

They really were sisters

Cookie was really the runt of the litter

She really was specially picked out by my mom

She really is more of a fraidy-cat than Kiara ever was

Their designs are exactly the same as their actual fur patterns

Now for the stuff that isn't the same:

We don't live in an apartment in London

Neither of them have actually attempted to use the dog's door

So, it looks like Cookie has a bit of a crush on the Tugger. Is that the pairing destined for this story, or do I have something else planned? You're not going to find out until later. I will warn you, one of these OCs isn't going to survive to the end of the story. I'm so mean to my characters. **is shot**

Thank you for taking the time to read this, hope to see you in the next chapter!

~DaAmazingMeepers ^w^


	2. Chapter 2: Their Jellicle History

…Wow guys, really? Only two reviews, one of them being my_ brother_? I can understand that not all of my subscribers will have heard of CATS, but good gravy, I was expecting at least _some_ of the other CATS fans to take some interest… Ah well, I'm not here for you guys anyway…Just kidding, I love you all, even when you ignore me!

Disclaimer: I don't own Cats or any of its characters.

Chapter 2: Their Jellicle History

Leaving the rest of the tribe behind, Munkustrap, Kiara and Cookie followed Old Deuteronomy between various piles of junk before stopping before an old bed with ratty old blankets and pillows. They each jumped up onto the bed and sat down. "Now then," said Old Deuteronomy once everyone was comfortable, "What's the story here?"

Munkustrap told the Jellicle Leader what Kiara and Cookie had told him, and Old Deuteronomy listened attentively. When the telling was done, he turned to the sisters and said, "So, before this day you've never known what a Jellicle cats is?"

Kiara shrugged. "Well, like my sister said, we've heard the term 'Jellicle cat' before, but we never knew exactly what I meant. Honestly, it's driving me crazy not knowing where I've heard that term."

Old Deuteronomy nodded, but he wasn't looking at Kiara; he was looking at Cookie. It was making Cookie quite uncomfortable, and she was starting to squirm. At last, Old Deuteronomy said, "You said you've never left your human's abode before in your life?"

Nervously, Cookie nodded.

The Jellicle leader looked very confused. "It's so strange," he said quietly, "You look so familiar…"

Cookie nervously scratched her ear. "That's really weird," she mumbled, "Because I've never left that house…"

Old Deuteronomy thought carefully. Then he looked to Munkustrap and said, "See if you can find Skimbleshanks; perhaps his memory will be better than mine."

Munkustrap's ear twitched, and he looked a bit uncomfortable. "Skimbleshanks has not yet arrived, father. Rumpleteazer said that the stationmaster's daughter was holding him back and he would be a bit late."

Inwardly, Cookie thought to herself, _"'Father'? He's the son of the Jellicle leader?"_ Of course, now she could see the resemblance between them.

Suddenly, a voice with a thick Scottish accent said, "Actually, Ah just got heere."

Cookie and Kiara turned to see and orange tabby cat with a vest on walking towards them. He looked like he could have been a Scottish Fold, but his ears weren't as…well, folded as they should have been. Old Deuteronomy smiled warmly at him. "Ah, Skimbleshanks, good to see you."

Skimbleshanks bowed his head respectfully at the Jellicle leader. "Ah do apologize for bein' late. I was takin' a shortcut through heere, but it appears ah'm needed heere more than at the—"

When he saw Cookie, he froze in the middle of his sentence, his eyes wide with shock. Cookie looked around to see if he might have possibly been looking at someone else, but there was no one behind her or close enough that his gaze might be mistaken. He shakily stuttered, "S-Scarlet?"

Kiara's ears perked up at this. "Scarlet was our mom's name! You knew her?"

Old Deuteronomy looked sharply at Kiara in amazement. "Scarlet was your mother? So that is why your sister…I can't believe I didn't see it sooner!"

"Wait, how did you know their mother?" asked Munkustrap, who looked just as confused as Cookie and Kiara felt.

"Are ye kiddin'," asked Skimbleshanks, who was now grinning but still looked a bit shaken up, "She was one o' our top singers!"

Kiara's and Cookie's jaws dropped. Their mother, a Jellicle cat? Suddenly, Kiara gasped. "That's where we've heard that term! Our mother always told stories about a tribe of cats who could sing and dance like no other cats! I thought it was a fairytale for so long that I completely forgot about it!"

Cookie was amazed. "I can't believe we didn't remember that…" she said, trailing off.

Munkustrap looked to his father. "But doesn't this mean…?"

"Yes," said Old Deuteronomy, "While not officially, they are technically members of the Jellicle tribe."

Cookie was so shocked that she could hardly find the air to breathe. Of all the things she had expected to happen that night, this wasn't even on the list. She looked to her sister for something so say, preferably in protest, but her sister's reaction was a bit different than what she was thinking at that moment. "This is the coolest thing ever! When I was a kid and mom was telling us stories I had always dreamed of being a Jellicle cat! It's like all of my dreams are coming true!"

Cookie gave her sister a look that she hoped was conveying, _"Have you gone completely and utterly __insane__?_" but Kiara ignored it.

"Again, you're not officially a Jellicle yet," said Old Deuteronomy, "While you are of Jellicle blood, you haven't spent enough time with the tribe to be an actual member of it yet."

"Well how much time do we have to spend with it then?" Kiara asked eagerly.

"Kiara," hissed Cookie.

Kiara gave a look of surprise to her sister. "What? Don't you want to be a Jellicle, Cookie?"

"Kiara, this is crazy," Cookie said, "We're ordinary cats! We shouldn't have even left the apartment tonight! There's no way we could be Jellicle cats!"

"If you were ordinary cats, you wouldn't have been able to make it into the junkyard tonight," Munkustrap spoke up. "There's a spell that misdirects cats who aren't Jellicles on the night of the Jellicle Ball."

Cookie shook her head. "No, no, this is all wrong!"

"Cookie," Kiara said, a pleading tone laced in her voice, "There's no way that our coming here was a coincidence. All my life I've felt that there should more to my life than being a housecat, and I know you have too, because I've seen you staring out the window. This is where we're meant to be; what's holding you back?"

Although Cookie would never admit it, there were times when she wished that she could be something more. Even now, She wasn't quite sure what was holding her back, but by now she was just looking for excuses. "What about the family? We can't just not go back to the house, it would kill them."

At this, Skimbleshanks spoke up. "Lass, did ye think ye would be the only Jellicle cats with humans? Many o' us live with humans, our dear leader and his sons included."

Cookie looked up in surprise. "Sons?"

"Yes," said Old Deuteronomy, "Munkustrap is one of my sons, and next in line for the title of Jellicle Leader. The Rum Tum Tugger is his brother, along with…one other that we don't like to talk about."

As if the night couldn't get any more surprising. Cookie stared in amazement at Munkustrap thinking, _"He's related to that handsome tom from earlier? But they look and act nothing alike! I wonder who that other cat is…"_

Now the three toms were looking both sad and slightly angry, so Kiara cut in to release the tension. "So, what do we have to do in order to join the tribe?"

Old Deuteronomy shook himself out of his reverie and said, "First you must spend all of your free time with the Jellicle tribe for a full year. Once that year is up, you must attend the next Jellicle Ball, where you will be given your particular name and you will chose for yourself your Jellicle Name, which you will not tell us. Then and only then will you be a true Jellicle."

"What do you mean by 'particular name'?" asked Cookie.

Old Deuteronomy smiled. "Well, Cookie is your family name – the name that your family gave you." He then began to quote one of the songs from earlier. "But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular, a name that's peculiar and more dignified, else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular, or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?"

Kiara nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, so if we go to the next Jellicle Ball, you're going to give us a name like "Ishkabibble" or something else that humans wouldn't be able to think up, and we'll be Jellicles?"

Old Deuteronomy chuckled at her name choice. "Sort of; you must also choose a Jellicle Name for yourself, and this name will be one that only you will know."

Kiara gave her sister a pleading look. Her eyes were full of more passion than Cookie had ever seen in her, and that was saying something, because Kiara did everything with passion. She was sure that if she really insisted on leaving, Kiara would follow her; she had never done anything but take care of Cookie. But while she still felt an overwhelming sense of danger, she knew that she wouldn't be able to live with Kiara's disappointment if she said no. She sighed and said, "Alright, let's do it."

Kiara squealed with delight and pounced on top of Cookie, bowling her over. Cookie chuckled nervously. Old Deuteronomy smiled at their display. "Now then" he said, "I believe we should get back to the Jellicle Ball. We still have several introductions to do before the sunrise."

Everyone headed back to the clearing. On their way back, Skimbleshanks asked Cookie and Kiara, "So…how's yer mother been? Has she been well?"

Kiara shrugged. "We don't know, we haven't seen her since our family took us home a little more than two years ago."

Skimble's ears drooped. "Oh…Ah see…"

Cookie looked curiously at Skimble. "Were you really good friends with our mom or something?"

At this Skimble looked sheepish. Well, that's the thin'," he said, "How old were ye when ye were picked up by yer human family?"

Kiara and Cookie looked at each other, both wondering where this was leading. "Not very old," Kiara said, "Probably only a few months."

"Well," said Skimble, scratching the back of his head, "Then there's a good chance that ah'm yer father."

The sisters actually stopped in their tracks to stare at him. "You…but…but we don't look anything like you!"

Skimble shook his head sadly. "Aye, Ah know, but…yer mother dinnae say anythin' about me even once?"

The look on his face made Cookie want to think back as far as she could, trying to remember as much as she could about what her mother had said about the Jellicles. This wasn't much, because she had been so little. "I…do remember her saying that our father was someone she wished she didn't have to leave behind."

"Yeah," said Kiara, "And I remember she always talked about how he was really kind to her. So I guess it really could be you."

Skimble lit up considerably after that remark. Just then, Munkustrap rounded the corner and said, "Hey, are you three coming?"

They caught up and the sisters found a place to sit where they could see the rest of the festivities while Skimbleshanks took his place among the rest of the Jellicles. Cookie turned to her sister and whispered, "Why did you say that to him? That he could be our father? You know there's no way he could—"

"Sure there is," Kiara said, "Don't you remember any of our siblings? Two of them had his coloring. And then there's your eyes."

Cookie gave her a skeptical look. "What are you talking about? My eyes are yellow, his eyes are green."

"Yes," said Kiara, "But you have the smallest amount of green surrounding your pupils."

"What?" said Cookie, "No I don't!"

"Yes you do, and you're the only one who has that too," said Kiara.

Cookie was going to argue some more, but just then, Munkustrap spoke up in a loud strong voice. "Jellicle Cats meet once a year, on the night we make the Jellicle Choice. And now that the Jellicle Leader is here, Jellicle Cats can all rejoice!"

The cats leaped in the in the air with rapture. Their act of joy filled Cookie with the same joy and made her want to leap as well. Suddenly, the floor cleared completely except for Munkustrap. He began to tell a story, seemingly for Old Deuteronomy. It was a story about a cat named cat named Cat Morgan, who once was a pirate who sailed the high seas. He was played by a black and white patched cat. He sailed about on an imaginary boat with his crew, found treasure and fought rival pirates. It was quite an exciting skit, and funny at points too. When the Rum Tum Tugger made a cameo as a flashy pirate captain, the sisters couldn't help but giggle.

After the play had concluded, everyone gathered around Old Deuteronomy, who began to sing. "Jellicle Cats and dogs all must, Pollicle Dogs and cats all must, like undertakers come to dust."

Suddenly, there was a crash of what sounded like thunder, and the cats began frantically looking around. The cat who had sniffed Cooke and Kiara earlier cried, "Macavity!"

Everyone scattered, once again leaving Munkustrap as the last cat in the clearing. He placed himself in front of Old Deuteronomy, his arms spread out in a protective manner. After a few moments of silence, a calico cat cautiously walked into the moonlight and began to dance. Old Deuteronomy started chanting, inviting all the cats to come to the Jellicle Ball. One by one, more cats appeared, each saying something to define Jellicle Cats. The clearing became more and more crowded until it seemed like the entire tribe was out dancing. Every cat's moves were coordinated with every other cat's moves, every voice in sync with every other voice. It was almost haunting.

The song seemed to draw to a finish, fading into the night…

…And then suddenly there was a burst of music, and the Jellicle Ball began.

The cats leaped and twirled in intricate patterns that kept any one cat from colliding with any other one cat. They radiated a longing and excitement that couldn't be faked. Then the clearing cleared almost completely and the tribe began to have dance-offs. At first they were one on one, but they slowly progressed to toms verses queens.

The dancing stated to get a little too crazy, and Old Deuteronomy had to step in and calm everyone down. Then, once again, everyone retreated until only two cats were left on the clearing; the calico who had danced the solo earlier and a tom cat who was all shades of grey. Cookie stared curiously as they nuzzled each other. When Skimbleshanks came to sit by her, she asked, "What's going on?"

"The Matin' Dance," he said matter-of-factly.

Cookie blinked. There was no way he had just said that with a straight face. Before she could ask him to repeat himself, he whispered, "Got to go," and slunk up to the dancing cats.

The grey tom was holding the calico now, and he lowered her down so that she was nose to nose with Skimble. He then lifted her back up again and Skimble made a bridge with his body. Cookie watched with astonishment and mortification as all of the cats began to converge into one big pile of squirming kitties. Each cat seemed to have a partner, the old with the young and the young with the old. The only ones who didn't participate were Old Deuteronomy and Munkustrap.

"_It really is a mating dance!"_ Cookie thought, wanting to look away, and at the same time not being able to.

When they were done, everybody got up and began to dance again. The dancing grew more and more frenzied, everyone joining in. They flung themselves about in frantic twirls, spins and leaps. No one was singing now; there was no need, because the dance said everything that needed to be said. It escalated, the cats moving faster and faster until they weren't a tribe anymore, but one cat, dancing for only the moon to see.

Then, with one last burst of music, the cats collapsed, and their dancing was over.

Afternote: Wow, yet another really long chapter! This must be a record for me! This was actually going to end at a different point, but I once again managed to cram more into the chapter than I was going for, and so I'm splitting off one more time. The next chapter should end where I wanted chapter one to end, actually.

More things about my OCs that are the same as my kitty(s):

Their mom's name really was Scarlet

Cookie really does look a lot like Scarlet once did

Things that aren't the same:

Obviously Skimble was not their father

I have no recollection of what Cookie and Kiara's siblings looked like

Here's to hoping I don't screw up the next chapter, and while I'm here, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New year to all of my readers!


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